The Girl in the Mirror
by mkaz
Summary: Five years after Adrian's curse is broken, he and Lindy are in college and living happily ever after...sort of. Lindy begins to feel insecure in their relationship, believing that they are drifting apart. Kendra gives her the chance to test the strength of her boyfriend's love for her. But will the test give Lindy the result she's hoping for? Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hi all! I've actually published Beastly stories before, but under the movie category, as I consider the book and movie to be entirely separate universes.

* * *

The sun had nearly set in the May sky as Lindy was finishing making dinner. The spaghetti was boiling cheerfully in a huge shiny stockpot while the sauce had settled to a low, gurgling simmer. She put the bread to warm in the oven and then leaned against the counter, allowing herself a rest. Reluctantly she turned her eyes toward the living room and the large white envelope sitting on the coffee table. Lindy had found it in the mailbox when she came home from her last class of the day, the envelope being so large that it stuck rather obnoxiously out of the bronzed metal slot.

It was addressed to Adrian, Lindy's boyfriend. Rather, it was addressed using Adrian's birth name, Kyle Kingsbury. Only Lindy and their friend Will called him Adrian. It was sort of their own personal thing, shared between them, reflecting the incredible journey they'd been on together. The rest of the world – including the sender of the envelope, the Society of Military Engineers – referred to Lindy's boyfriend as Kyle.

Lindy was now staring at it with dread, as though it were a bomb about to explode in their apartment. She knew what it was; Adrian had been talking about it for quite a while now. SAME had invited him and a couple of his other fellow soon-to-be graduates to intern on a special wastewater treatment project in Guam. Adrian had been recommended by one of his professors at the start of the fall semester, and he'd applied shortly after. Being his typical modest self, Adrian kept referring to the opportunity as a "possibility," always using the word "if," not "when." But Lindy knew better. Her boyfriend was one of the most talented and dedicated civil engineering students in their school's department.

And Lindy wanted to be happy for him, truly she did. But this acceptance letter was just one more thing coming between the two of them.

It wasn't a hard, obvious divide. Lindy and Adrian didn't fight, didn't hold any grudges – at least, Lindy didn't. It was more of a drifting apart, a slow, gentle process. Still, Lindy could see it clearly.

At first, she thought she and Adrian were immune to it. They weren't like the other couples they'd known throughout college who'd broken up due to cheating or stupid fights or simple boredom. Their relationship was built on enchantment. The strength of their love had broken a magic spell. Adrian had been a hideous beast, whose heart had been uncovered and healed by Lindy's kind spirit.

So how could something so ordinary like college and career choices pull them apart?

But it was tearing them apart, nonetheless. While Adrian had been meticulously working away at his degree in civil engineering, networking and training and plotting a road to his life's work, Lindy had been struggling with the English major that had once seemed the clear choice for her. Though she loved literature, and loving reading simply for its own sake, the job market simply didn't smile on the choice of discipline. She had no idea what she would do after they graduated in two weeks.

She felt tears pricking at her eyes when these thoughts flew through her head for the hundredth time in the past few weeks. She didn't want to drift away from Adrian. She loved him, more than she thought she could ever love anyone. But maybe that just wasn't enough.

Lindy thought back to what Adrian had told her that glorious day on the roof of their apartment, when he saved her life and the spell was broken.

_For the rest of our lives, we'll go to school and have jobs and eat breakfast and watch TV, but we'll know that even if we don't see it, there's magic in the world. Face it, this is happily ever after, true love like in fairy tales._

Lindy was beginning to stumble on an idea, a horrifying, creeping-cold idea that was as rational as it was devastating. That maybe "happily ever after" didn't necessarily mean her and Adrian being together to the very end. Maybe they would always love each other in that tiny, connecting way that people are capable of, but they would live separate lives. Adrian was a better person for having loved her – at least, that's what Lindy would have liked to think. He was a kinder, stronger, more decent man; he was studying civil engineering not because it was one of the better-paying careers, not because he had the intelligence for it, but because he wanted to build things that made people's lives better.

And Adrian had made Lindy a better person too, and had given her the chance to escape the hellishness of her life. She'd traveled the world, gone to college, escaped her father's abuse and learned to see herself as a beautiful person. Adrian had been there for her in so many ways. There were the tiny ones, like making her breakfast and doing her laundry when she was too busy studying. And the big ones too, like lying in bed with her for two days straight while she mourned the death of her father from the inevitable overdose.

So they had definitely been good things in each other's lives. So perhaps…perhaps that was it. Perhaps Adrian was meant to go his own way now, and she was meant to go hers.

She now heard the door open and slam shut. Adrian was home. He went straight to the dining room without saying hello, and lingered there for a few seconds. Lindy figured he must have had a ton of books from class that he had to unload. Then he was walking back to the kitchen. Putting on her happy face, Lindy turned around to meet him.

Even after five years together, the sight of him still took Lindy's breath away. Adrian was gorgeous. Even clad as he was in a pair of old faded jeans, a worn t-shirt, and scuffed, dirty sneakers, he was magnificent. His blue eyes crinkled with delight and he pulled her in for a kiss. "Hey beautiful," he greeted her.

Lindy had to suppress a wry laugh from the irony. "Hey yourself," she told him. "How was class?"

"A bitch and a half," he reported. "Only Professor Adamson could think that ductile iron pipe is the coolest thing around, drone on and on about it for fifty freakin' minutes."

"Aw, well it's almost over."

"Thank God. How about you?"

"Dr. Kramer loved my paper on Philip Roth, but Dr. Leighton thought my essay on _Cloud Atlas_ was 'pedestrian.' Oh well. Can't please 'em all."

Adrian wrapped his arms around her. "You always please me, if it's any comfort," he purred seductively.

"Down, boy," Lindy chided him playfully. "Dinner's almost ready, and something important-looking came in the mail for you."

"Oh, it must be about the contract in Guam!" Adrian swept past Lindy to get to the envelope in the living room. "If this says what I hope it says, everything is going to change!" he called out cheerfully.

Lindy gripped the end of the counter for support as she heard Adrian's words, grateful that he was in the living room reading over the package from SAME. She had to be strong. She had to be loving and supportive and happy for him when he gave her the news. Most importantly, she had to be ready if and when he told her goodbye.

When she heard his footsteps, she quickly turned back to the stove and began stirring the sauce as casually as she could. "So, good news?" she called out, keeping her voice even.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her hair. Lindy shut her eyes and willed herself not to fall apart. "Yeah," he whispered. "They accepted me. I leave for Guam in four weeks."

Lindy took a deep, silent breath, put on her bravest smile, and turned to face him. "Congrats," she told him, giving him a quick kiss. "I knew they would, but it's nice to get some confirmation."

Adrian's grip tightened around her waist. "It's only two months, then I'll be home. We'll talk every day. We'll skype. There's email, and—"

"We'll need to buy some luggage for you," Lindy interrupted, turning back to the stove. "Memorial Day is coming up. I bet they'll have some good sales."

"Or maybe you could come along," Adrian continued, as though Lindy hadn't spoken at all. "We might need a secretary or something during the assignment. I could talk to Professor Walters."

_Oh sure, Adrian. In these sucky economic times, they're really gonna pay for travel, board, and salary for staff they don't need,_ Lindy thought bitterly to herself. She gave a good-natured chuckle and responded with a "that would be great."

Adrian kissed her hair again. "I'll be waiting at the table. Dinner smells great."

Lindy made up both their plates and walked around the corner to their dining/living room, and nearly broke the ceramic dishes when she saw their table. It was covered with white and red roses. Adrian stood by the table, his arms crossed behind him in hopeful anticipation.

She gasped. "What's this?"

He grinned. "My way of saying thanks for being so awesome these last couple months. I know I haven't been all here, but you've been taking really good care of me. So…thanks."

Lindy put the dishes on the table and took Adrian in her arms. "They're so beautiful. Thank you."

He cupped the back of her head and pulled her up to his lips for a soft kiss. "Anything for you," he whispered in her ear. Lindy closed her eyes and let all her earlier worries and doubts slip away while he nibbled at her neck.

Just then, the doorbell let out a tinny chime. Letting out a groan of annoyance, Adrian went to answer the door.

Lindy bent her head into the glorious blossoms and inhaled their fragrance. Instantly she was taken back five years earlier, when Adrian, still in his beastly form, offered to bring roses to her room every day if she wanted. It was those small, sweet gestures that made Lindy let down her guard and abandon her resentment, and really allow herself to have a relationship with him. She smiled at the memory.

"Hey!" Lindy heard Adrian call out.

"Hi! I hope I'm not interrupting," a female voice replied.

Lindy felt her heart sink as she heard the girl's familiar voice. It was Jessica, one of the other students in Adrian's major who took nearly every class with him. _What's she doing here?_ Lindy thought in irritation.

"We were just going to have dinner. Do you want to join us?" Adrian asked.

"Oh no, sorry. I just wanted to see if you got your acceptance letter from SAME too!"

By now Adrian had led Jessica into the living room. Lindy braced herself when she saw the girl. Jessica was beautiful—achingly, breathtakingly beautiful. Long, golden blonde hair, sapphire eyes, dazzling smile, a body to kill for. She was dressed simply, yet impeccably – sign of her family's well-established wealth.

Jessica flashed her luminous smile. "Hey, Lindy. How are you?"

Lindy returned her smile with a close-lipped one of her own, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about her crooked teeth. "I'm great, Jessica. Nice to see you."

"Sorry for just barging in, but I was so excited when I got my letter that I had to come over and make sure you got yours too."

Adrian laughed. "Ah, that impatient spirit. Hopefully all those hours we're going to spend analyzing CAD designs won't get you down."

Jessica playfully nudged Adrian in the side, causing heat to form at the back of Lindy's eyes. "Well, you'll be there to keep me from snoring on the keyboard." She turned innocently to Lindy. "You must be so proud of Kyle. He's worked so hard, you know."

Lindy's jaw tightened. "Yes, I know he has. I've been here every night for the last four years watching him do it. No one knows better than me."

Adrian coughed lightly. "You sure you won't join us for dinner, Jess?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, no, but thanks," she replied, waving him off. "You guys enjoy. I'll see you tomorrow in Lab, Kyle!"

Lindy let out a silent sigh of relief. She knew it was only polite to invite Jessica to dinner, but she didn't want to spend any more time with that girl than she had to.

The blonde beauty was nearly at the door when she stopped. "Ooh, almost forgot. You're coming to the party Saturday night, right?"

"Party?" Lindy asked with a frown.

Adrian turned to her, embarrassed. "Yeah. The engineering department is having a cocktail party for all the graduates. I was going to tell you about it at dinner."

"I wish they'd given us more notice. I barely have time to shop for a new dress!" Jessica complained, then beamed once more, making Lindy feel 2 inches tall. "Well. I'll see you both there Saturday. Bye!"

After Jessica left, Adrian shrugged sheepishly. "That's Jess for you. She gets excited about things and goes into impulse mode."

"Yes, apparently she forgot how a phone works," Lindy muttered as she set the table.

"She doesn't mean any harm," Adrian said quietly.

Lindy fumed to herself, but she knew Adrian was right. That's what made the situation so frustrating. Jessica was a good person. In spite of all the stigma against beautiful women, she was very smart and dedicated to her studies. She worked hard, never pushed her boundaries, and she'd never been rude to Lindy. Sloan Hagen she was not.

But Lindy almost wished Jessica was. She wished there was something, _anything_ bad about her that she could make Adrian see so that the risk of losing him to this beautiful girl would be lessened. But there wasn't. Jessica was the kind of girl that could have any man she wanted. And really, she was the kind of girl that you couldn't blame your man for leaving you for.

"Lindy?" Adrian called to her gently.

Lindy looked up. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked if you had a dress for the cocktail party. If you don't, I'll help you pick out one."

_What's the point?_ Lindy thought. _I'll get all dressed up, you'll take me out, and everyone will have that look of surprise they're trying to hide when they find out that a hot guy like you is with a girl like me._

She remembered the last time when she'd accompanied Adrian to a department event – the holiday party. One of the professors thought that Jessica was his girlfriend. Lindy never forgot the look on his face when Adrian corrected him: it almost looked like disappointment. For the rest of the night all Lindy wanted to do was go home, but she had to smile, mingle, eat, look like she was having a good time. She didn't dare look sad. She didn't want Adrian to see and then have to have the conversation with him.

"I'm sure I can find something," Lindy told Adrian as pleasantly as she could.

"Well, we can always get something new for it," he suggested cheerfully. "We could go to the mall after dinner."

"No worries, I'll find something nice," Lindy insisted. A trip to the mall meant Adrian spending money – his _dad's_ money – on her. It was bad enough that Rob Kingsbury paid for their apartment off-campus. She didn't want anything more from that man then she had to take. He still made no effort to have any part of Adrian's life, even now that he was cured. He just threw money at Adrian like a problem he hoped would go away. And when it came to Lindy…well, as far as Rob Kingsbury was concerned, Lindy was just "temporary insanity." Yes, temporary insanity that had been going on for five years. Whatever. Lindy had lived with one screwed-up man; she didn't need another one like that in her life.

Adrian accepted Lindy's assurance that she would find something to wear, that she'd have a good time, that all was well. After dinner he started filling out the mass of forms online that SAME required to be complete in order to fully register for the job. Lindy started cleaning up the kitchen, thinking about the last couple things they'd have to do for get ready for graduation.

"Awesome!" Adrian exclaimed.

Lindy ducked her head around the corner. "What?"

He grinned at her. "I just got an email from Jessica. SAME assigned us to the same housing unit!"

She cleared her throat. "That's-that's great," she told him, trying to keep a tremble out of her voice. Quickly she ducked around the corner, heading to their bedroom without bothering to finish in the kitchen.

_They're going to be living in the same building. They might as well be living in the same house. They probably will._

When she got to their room, she went to the very back of it where a tall, wooden bookshelf stood. Lindy scanned the line of books on the lowest shelf, the shelf reserved for her stuff. Her finger stopped at a small, red leather bound copy of _Emma_. She pulled it off the shelf and sat down on the floor next to the case, flipping to the center of the book. In between these pages she found several caramel-colored, teardrop-shaped petals that were as dry and thin as the paper in the book that held them. Lindy removed one from the book and held it in the palm of her hand. As she looked at it, she thought of where the petal had come from. It was the first rose Adrian had ever given her, at a dance when she was working the ticket booth. She remembered what she had told him later, when she thought that Kyle and Adrian were two different people: that if she could have a rose from a guy like Kyle, she'd be happy for the rest of her life.

Hot, heavy tears gathered in her eyes.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?"

Lindy coughed and sniffled in response to Adrian's question. "No, hon. Go and have a good time. Tell me all about it when you get home."

Adrian stood in the doorway of their bedroom, dressed superbly in black slacks, a black button-down shirt, and silvery-white tie. His blonde hair was slicked back and glossy. It wrenched Lindy's heart to see how gorgeous he was. She sank back further into the bed, holding the covers to her face.

Lindy had started pretending she was sick since early Friday morning. She'd feigned a headache, added coughs and sneezes in for good measure, and so by the evening of the cocktail party, it was clear that she was too sick and too weak to go with Adrian.

He sighed. "I hate to leave you here."

She shook her head. "You have to. Everyone is expecting you." _Especially Jessica_, Lindy thought bitterly.

"All right. But I'm only staying for a little while, and then I'll be home." He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Good night, love."

Lindy smiled weakly. "Good night."

After Adrian had left the apartment and Lindy heard him get into his car and drive away, she threw back the covers and got out of bed, making her way to the bathroom. She ran the cold water in the sink and splashed some on her face, then got out her toothbrush and cleaned her teeth. She wasn't going to eat that night anyway. She didn't have an appetite then, and she certainly wasn't going to have one later, when Adrian came home and Lindy told him that she was letting him go.

Lindy decided that tonight would be the night. She'd start by telling him that she'd lied about being sick, and that she was sorry, but that it was necessary. He had to see that they were just too different, that it was better to break it off now, before he left for Guam. Lindy would also drop hints that she knew that there was someone else that would be better for him, someone just as beautiful and smart and came from the same background as he did. She'd make sure he knew that she loved him dearly, and that he didn't need to feel guilty for leaving her. She would understand, and she would always love him.

"Does Adrian mean so little to you?"

Lindy's head snapped up from the porcelain sick to see Kendra's beautiful, pale face staring back at her from the mirror. She gasped and whirled around quickly to see the witch standing before her, in all her otherworldly glory.

"Kendra!" Lindy whispered. She would have pinched herself if she hadn't been so paralyzed by shock. Lindy and Adrian hadn't seen the supernatural woman for well over five years, since the curse was broken and she revealed herself to be Magda, Adrian's housekeeper. The two of them had accepted after a while that they'd probably never see her again. To see her now…it was almost like meeting someone who came back from the dead.

Kendra glared at her. "Did my magic teach you nothing? You disappoint me, Lindy. I thought you had faith in love."

Lindy's eyes dropped to the ground like a child that had been scolded. "I do love Adrian. But I have to do what's best for him. If he's better off without me, then I can't stand in his way."

The witch crossed her arms. "You two are meant to be together. I wouldn't have worked so hard or made Adrian to suffer so much otherwise."

"I want to believe that so badly. But I live in the real world. And in the real world, maybe I can't give Adrian what he needs."

"And just what do you think he needs? A six-figure income? A hot trophy wife? Do you think that's all he's interested in?"

Lindy shrugged. "I don't think so. But people can change."

Kendra smiled darkly. "All right, Lindy. I'll see your wager. I'm going to give you a chance to find out for yourself if Adrian would cheat on you."

Lindy frowned. "I can't go to the cocktail party. Adrian thinks I'm sick."

"Oh, you won't be going to the cocktail party. Turn around and see for yourself."

Lindy felt her heart grow numb with horror. Slowly she turned around and to face the mirror. What she saw in the glass made her scream.

Kendra laughed warmly. "Speaking of people changing…."


	2. Chapter 2

At first, Lindy thought she was looking at another girl.

She screamed because it seemed like someone was sneaking up on her. She was startled. Then she realized that the girl in the mirror had the identical look of horror on her face, that she was raising her hand to touch her temple at the very same time that Lindy was.

Lindy _was_ the girl in the mirror.

It wasn't her face, not at all. The face was more refined in its beauty, exotic. Dark brown eyes slightly slanted and framed with long, curled lashes. Full, pouting lips that, when parted, revealed white, perfectly straight teeth. Skin the color of caramel. Long, straight, ebony hair.

Kendra leaned in to Lindy's reflection, resting her hands affectionately on her shoulders. "So? Whaddya think?"

Lindy's eyes drifted down from the face to the rest of the body. It was slightly shorter, more petite, and wearing a form-fitting dark red dress and matching heels. The proportions were slightly more voluptuous than her own athletic body.

"It's-it's me," she whispered, running her hand over her new face.

"Well, of course it is," Kendra assured her. "How are you going to spy on Kyle if you aren't unrecognizable? But back to my question: what do you think? You like?"

"It's…going to take a little getting used to, but…it's not bad. I kind of look like that girl from _High School Musical_."

Kendra chuckled at this. "Well, that's perfect, then, because Kyle looks like that guy from _I Am Number Four_."

"It's not permanent, is it?" she cried, watching her perfectly shaped black brows knit together in fear. She put her hand to her throat when she heard herself speak. Her voice was different. Still high-pitched, still girlish, but definitely not hers. It made sense. If Lindy was going to look like someone else, she might as well sound like someone else too.

"Oh no," Kendra replied, casually twirling a lavender lock of hair around her finger. "It's not like the curse I put on Kyle at all. You have the normal level of strength for a woman of your age, the same tolerance to pain and heat and cold. This is all merely an illusion. When you don't need the disguise anymore, it will disappear."

Lindy turned away from the mirror, to face the enchantress. "Can you see the future? Do you know what's going to happen when I go to the party?"

Kendra hesitated, then shook her head. "I wish I did, but even I don't have that power. I know what you're thinking: that I'm going through all the trouble of casting this spell to teach you a lesson even though I know all along that everything will be fine, but that's simply not the case. I'm acting purely on faith – faith in you, and to a much larger extent, faith in Adrian."

Lindy looked down at her hands. "Kendra…what if I'm right and you're wrong? What if I go there and see…what I don't want to see?"

Kendra smiled sadly. "Then it's better to know now, rather than later." She leaned forward and kissed Lindy's forehead. "I wish you every good luck, my love."

With that, everything was bathed in a warm, white light. Lindy shut her eyes to keep out the blinding illumination. When she opened them, she was no longer in her apartment. She was standing outside of Calvert Hall, on the university campus.

_Hmm…nice of Kendra to include transportation,_ Lindy thought wryly. She was right in front of the building where the party was being held. She knew it well – this was also where the department's holiday party had been held. But tonight was different. Tonight, she wasn't the homely girl who baffled an entire department with the mystery of how she'd won the heart of such a handsome guy. Tonight, she was a beautiful, alluring stranger, a spy in the house of love.

"You can do this, Lindy," she told herself. Throwing back her shoulders, holding her head high, she boldly pushed open the door to Calvert Hall and invited herself in.

She made her way through the receiving hallway and entered the last room on the left, which was the reception room the department always used for events. The room was lushly carpeted in royal blue, the chandeliers casting a warm glow on the guests beneath it. Lindy took the scene in. She recognized several of the students, classmates of Adrian's.

Her heart pounding, she gingerly descended the short stack of stairs to get to the main floor. She noticed several guests, namely the men, looking at her as she passed. She thought for certain one had smiled flirtatiously at her.

Okay, she was here. Now what? Should she look for Adrian? Should she not? She had no idea what to do.

It followed, though, that no matter what she decided to do, she needed to find him first. Looking around, Lindy saw the refreshments table at the opposite corner from where she was and decided it was a good vantage point. She crossed over to it, gaining several more admiring glances from the male guests and trying her best not to blush.

When she got to the table, she turned her back to it and scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend. Unfortunately for her situation, the engineering department was enormous, with dozens of graduating seniors, younger students in the major who'd been invited by professors, and all of their significant others. Even in a venue as large as Calvert, the guests still seemed to be packed in like sardines.

At last, fortune smiled on Lindy's plight and a path to the object of her search was opened: there, only a few hundred feet away, was Adrian, chatting animatedly with one of his professors. The easy way in which he spoke with a man who'd been an engineer for decades, the intent way that Adrian listened to him, it showed that he belonged here, that he loved what he'd chosen to do with his life. For a moment, Lindy felt happy for him. She was glad she'd convinced him to come and not to stay at home with her.

Then she saw Jessica approach the pair, carrying two drinks. She was, simply put, stunning. Her dark silver cocktail dress fit her like a custom-made glove. Her gold hair hung in soft, loose ringlets around her beautiful face, her lips painted in deep coral. She handed Adrian a drink and he took it from her with a grateful smile, and she then proceeded to join the conversation Adrian was having with their professor.

Lindy felt the blood rush to her face when she saw the other girl. Jessica had brought a drink to Adrian – a seemingly simple gesture – yet it infuriated her. There was a possessive quality to it, somehow, a demonstration of familiarity that Lindy felt Jessica had no right to do.

"Can I get you something?"

The question coming from behind her startled Lindy from her thoughts and she practically jumped. She turned around to see one of the servers, a fellow student working part-time for the operations department at the university, smiling at her in anticipation.

Lindy returned the smile with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "I, uh, I guess…a white wine?"

"Sure." The guy turned away slightly to prepare her drink.

"So…I haven't seen you around here. Are you new?" he asked as he handed her the glass.

Lindy shook her head, staring at the golden liquid in the fluted container. "I've been around for a while, I guess you could say."

"Well…I work all the parties, and I've never seen you before. And trust me, I'd remember you," the bartender offered a smile.

Lindy returned the smile with a sly one of her own. "Well, it doesn't matter how long I've been here, does it? The point is, I'm here now." She sipped her glass of wine and looked at him from under her long lashes.

He smirked, lured in by her charms. "True enough." He looked over and realized he had a line forming. "Excuse me," he requested remorsefully.

Lindy nodded in understanding, and turned away. She hid her surprise with herself well. She had never been so glib, so forward, in all of her life. The only guy she'd ever flirted with had been Adrian, and their love was so pure and devoted that any sort of vamp act she could muster only came across as "cute." But now, in the body of this exotic vixen, she'd somehow found a confidence and swagger she'd never dreamed of before. Was this Kendra's doing – a powerful, yet temporary part of the spell? Part of her fervently hoped so.

For a good part of an hour Lindy remained near the refreshments table, providing herself with a good vantage point to observe Adrian. Once or twice one of the single guys at the gathering came up to her, trying to start up a conversation, but she politely turned them down. Some of them didn't bother to talk to her and just stared lasciviously at her. She wasn't used to this sort of attention; it sort of unnerved her. But she was here for a purpose, and keeping that in mind helped her stay focused.

But staying focused meant nearly losing her temper. The whole time that Lindy watched Adrian, he and Jessica were practically latched together, talking to the same people at the same time, or just to one another. Sometimes it seemed like they were in their own little world. At one point Adrian must have said something particularly hilarious, because Jessica tossed her head back and laughed, then pushed his shoulder in an chiding, yet affectionate sort of way. Any casual observer who saw the two of them together would easily jump to the conclusion that they were a couple. They looked so easy, so natural together. And working together for two months in Guam would only make their relationship more easy, and more natural.

She was glad that she hadn't gone with Adrian; she would have felt like the third wheel as they cracked their inside jokes, told their inside stories. It made Lindy's heart ache.

One of Adrian's classmates that Lindy knew, a tall, handsome, cocksure junior named Jason, sauntered over to her. "Hey," he greeted her boldly. "Just so you know, I haven't been able to stop looking at you all night."

"Try looking in a different direction," Lindy suggested coldly. With an indignant huff, he walked off. Again, her biting wit surprised her. She would never have said something like that before. Then again, a guy like Jason would never have given her the time of day when she was in her old skin.

Oh, it didn't matter. Lindy saw what she needed to see. Kendra's test was over. She'd go home and wait for Adrian, like she planned.

"Hi," a familiar voice said. Alarmed, Lindy nearly toppled over several of the drink glasses on the table, but managed to recover herself. She turned around to face Adrian, who was standing, smiling, behind her.

"Hi," she returned. Her heart was pounding so hard in her ears she couldn't hear herself speak. She could only hope her voice came out steadier than she felt.

Adrian looked her up and down. "You're new here, aren't you?"

Was her boyfriend checking her out? Lindy wondered. But there was no time to mull over that. She had to come up with a story, and quick. She didn't want to use the same coquettish line she'd fed the bartender. She wanted to keep Adrian engaged and interested, and away from Jessica.

"I guess you could say that. I'm actually taking classes at CCBC, and Professor Walters is one of my teachers over there. I'm thinking of transferring over next semester, and he thought that coming to the cocktail party might be a good way to meet the other professors and some of the other students." The explanation came out of Lindy's mouth so quickly and easily, she barely had time to think of it. She could only hope that it sounded believable enough.

Apparently it was, because Adrian replied, "Well, I hope we've won you over. We could use some more good people in this department, especially since most of us will be graduating this month." He held out his hand. "I'm Kyle."

Lindy took it, hoping that her palms weren't sweaty from fear. What was her name? Think fast!

"Vanessa," she replied a beat later, taking her cue from her earlier comment to Kendra about _High School Musical_.

He nodded. "Can I get you something to drink?"

So, he was getting her a drink now, was he? Lindy snapped her now-brown eyes from Adrian across the room to Jessica, who was chatting with a tall, muscled dark guy Lindy had never seen before at school. "I hope your girlfriend doesn't mind you talking to me," she stated, baiting him.

Adrian casually looked over at the blonde. "Oh, she's not my girlfriend."

Lindy's eyes widened in pretend surprise. "Oh really? You two seemed so close, I was sure she was."

He crinkled his eyes at her. "I didn't realize you were watching me so closely," he retorted, his voice falling deeper.

Lindy smiled seductively at Adrian, her heart feeling like ice freezing in her chest. "You're very easy to watch."

She'd baited him again; this would be the perfect time for Adrian to stop, to tell her he had a girlfriend, a girl who loved him, with all her heart and soul, that she was lying sick in bed right now waiting for him (okay, it was a lie, but he didn't know that), that he wasn't interested.

But he didn't. He was gazing at her, blue eyes smoldering. "I could say the same thing about you." He looked over to the far wall, to the back door which led to the patio. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

Lindy tossed her eyes to the side, pretending to consider. "Well…as long as you don't have a girlfriend to infuriate." One last time, a chance to backpedal, a "get out of jail" card.

Adrian took her arm, and leaning over, whispered in her dark, shining hair, "Don't worry, she's not here tonight."

Lindy appeared calm and cool on the surface as Adrian escorted her to the patio, but underneath she felt like her guts were twisting inside of her. What the hell was Adrian doing? Was he really going to cheat on Lindy – _with_ Lindy? Technically it wasn't cheating, but that wasn't the point. He didn't know it was her behind the pretty face – he thought he was with Vanessa, the alluring stranger.

The worst part of all – the very worst – Lindy was excited by this. Her legs were like jelly as they crossed the carpeted floor and she could barely wait to feel the warm spring air on her skin. But how far was she willing to take the charade? Was she going to tell him the truth the moment they got outside? Would she simply run for her life once they were on the patio, not stopping until she got home? She did not know.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lindy and Adrian had finally gotten to the back door and he held the door open for her while she walked out onto the patio. The air wasn't as warm as she thought it would be; there was a slight coolness to it. Or perhaps it was just her own anxiety chilling her to her bones.

"The stars are beautiful, aren't they?" Adrian asked behind her.

Lindy nodded, grateful that her back was turned so that he couldn't see her fighting back tears. "Yes," she managed to whisper.

For several more seconds, Adrian was quiet, so quiet Lindy wasn't sure if he was still there. She was just about to turn around when she felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her against him. Her eyes closed automatically, and for a moment it felt right, it felt good, pretending that he was himself and she was herself, and all was okay in the world.

She could feel his lips coming close to her ear, feel his cool, sweet breath against the side of her cheek. This was it. Lindy knew it: in having him for this one moment, she'd lost him forever.

Adrian's lips parted, and he spoke gently to her.

"I miss your red hair and green eyes. The freckles too."

Lindy yelped in surprise, pulling herself out of his arms. She whirled around quickly. "Adrian!" she cried.

He grinned at her. "Hey Lindy."


	3. Chapter 3

"But—how did…I was…you…," Lindy sputtered, in complete and utter shock at what had just happened. How could he have possibly known it was her? Adrian's smile was like the Buddha's—calm and knowing. And it hadn't faltered, once.

Then it came to Lindy. "Kendra told you," she stated flatly, crossing her arms.

He shook his head. "I haven't seen Kendra in five years. But evidently you have," he replied, looking her up and down.

"How?" Lindy asked in a sobbing whisper. "How could you know it was me?"

Adrian gently pressed his fingers to her temples. "Well, for one thing, your story had a big hole in it. It's Professor Adamson, not Professor Walters, that teaches at CCBC. But I knew something wasn't right with you before that. When you first walked in, you scratched your wrists—the left first, then the right. Your wrists always itch when you're nervous, and you scratch your left wrist first because you're right-handed. Then I saw you walk down the stairs. You've always had trouble walking in heels, and Kendra put you in some nasty stillettos. I'd know that walk anywhere: like a chicken walking through a minefield. And-and when you got a glass of wine, you just sat there staring at it. You can never just drink a drink; you always stare at it like you're waiting for it to explode."

Lindy huffed in indignation and tried to pull away, but Adrian held her still. "I'm sorry, Babe. I know that was mean of me, but I had to start with the harsh stuff so that you'd believe the goosh. What it really came down to was looking in your eyes. I know, cliché, but it's the truth. Your eyes might be a different shape, they might be a different color, but I know the soul living behind them. One look and it couldn't have been anyone else."

Lindy stared at him in disbelief. "Really?"

Adrian nodded sternly. "Absolutely. Okay, now tell me: what were you thinking? Why would you do this?"

"You really don't know? Don't you remember how you just spent the last hour and a half?" When he looked at her blankly, Lindy thrust a frustrated arm in the direction of the reception hall. "With _her_, Adrian! Laughing, talking, drinking, with _her_!"

He looked back at the inside room. "Jessica?" he asked innocently.

Lindy looked away, shaking her head. "It was Kendra's idea to do this—to test you. I wasn't going to. I was just going to tell you that it was okay to let me go."

"Let you go? What the hell, Lindy?" Adrian's blue eyes seemed even bluer in his anger.

"Adrian, what do you think is going to happen when you go to Guam for two months-when you're with Jessica for two months alone? She's perfect for you, don't you see it? An engineer like you, rich like you, beautiful like you? You two were in your own little world for nearly two hours! What exactly would have happened if I had come along with you? And don't tell me it would have been a good time, because it wouldn't have been, not for me. I'd just stand there for hours and listen to the two of you talk to each other!"

Adrian opened his mouth to protest, then slowly closed it again as he felt the pain in Lindy's words. "Lindy…you're right. I did spend most of my time talking to Jessica. But that's because she's my friend. Just a friend, nothing else. Yes we talk a lot, we joke a lot, because we've been doing the same thing for four years. And yes, we're going to be spending a lot of time together when we're in Guam—_working_."

"You won't be working the whole time, Adrian," Lindy argued, feeling the tears beginning to choke her chest. "Please don't lie to me and say you haven't noticed how hot she is."

Adrian shrugged. "Jess has got a pretty face. Blonde hair, blue eyes, just like me. I think we kinda look like siblings, honestly. Icky."

Lindy knew Adrian was trying to lighten the mood, but her heart was just too heavy. "I'm glad you think this is all a joke," she said miserably.

"Honey, I can joke about this because what I feel for her could fade into nothing when it compares to what I feel for you. Before, when I was a beast, do you know I'd look at you and it would hurt? It hurt because I wanted you so badly, be near you so much, but I couldn't. I couldn't let myself. I used to think that if I ever had the chance to hold you anytime I wanted, that I'd never let that go. And that's never changed." Adrian pulled Lindy into his arms. She tried to look away but he caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "I know I slip sometimes, that I get caught up in other things. But I will never take this for granted. You're all I've really ever wanted, Lindy. Everything else is just a part of living life."

Lindy felt the tears falling down her cheeks. She felt like a fool. Kendra had been right. True, they'd chosen different careers; their passions were different for different things. And true too, they'd fallen in love as kids and they were adults now, but it didn't matter. Adrian loved her as much today as he had five years ago.

Powerful sobs began to shake her, and it was seemed that it was only Adrian's arms around her that kept her from falling apart. He must have realized this too, because before she knew it, he'd moved them both to a bench on the far end of the patio, beneath a weeping willow tree. She kept her head buried in his neck as he stroked her back.

"There's more to this than just Jessica or Guam, isn't there," Adrian murmured to her after a while. Lindy looked up at her boyfriend, into his knowing gaze. She exhaled, shut her eyes, and allowed herself to sink back into a dark ocean of memory…

_It had been Will that called and gave them the news. It was a Sunday morning, on what was supposed to be the start of an all-too-rare and wonderfully lazy day for them. Adrian found out first, because their friend had deliberately called Adrian's cell phone instead of Lindy's, and the two of them tried to find the best way to tell her what had happened…_

_Lindy's sister Jane had tracked down Will and gave him the news originally. She was waiting at the hospital when Adrian and Lindy arrived after the three hour drive back to New York. Her eyes and cheeks were red, but she wasn't crying. She told them that she and Lindy's other sister Liz were in the process of making all the arrangements, that Lindy didn't have to worry about a thing. Adrian offered money to help with the plans, but Jane politely refused, telling him that taking care of her sister was more than enough. _

"_If you want to see him, now's the time," Jane said to Lindy in a soft, coarse voice. "We're not really doing much more than finding a spot for him. I don't know if he deserves much more, honestly." Jane's eyes were hard like granite._

_Adrian offered to go with her, as would be expected of him, but Lindy refused, as was expected of her. With that surface exchange out of the way, Lindy took her sister up on her suggestion. One of the attendants took her down two floors to where he was being kept. One of the things that always stuck with Lindy as she walked those few paces to the room was the feeling of being ice cold and boiling hot at the same time, the external warring with the internal. She felt ill: pounding head, trembling limbs, nauseated stomach._

_Lindy was sure her heart had stopped beating as the attendant pulled back the sheet. She looked at him, and the first thing she felt wasn't what she thought it was going to be. Not anger, not pain, not grief. It was surprise. She hadn't expected him to look that way. He was so pale, so small. The bloodlessness of his skin seemed to erase the lines, and Lindy expected lines. He'd lived such a cold, hard life she prepared herself to see an old man lying there. But instead he looked young, untouched. The morgue's stark white sheets and crisp toe tag seemed to add to the effect in their own, lurid way._

_And then Lindy suddenly felt old, very old. Knowing that she would outlive him, that she would live all those years with the memories of what he'd done while he got to escape into the black, forgetting arms of death. It was as if he'd been washed clean, but Lindy had been left stained…_

"My dad," Lindy told him.

Adrian nodded. "Your dad," he confirmed.

"After your spell was broken and we moved in together, remember how I'd said that I realized that I had to just let my dad go? Well, I did…mostly. But there was a part of me that couldn't. I kept hoping that maybe one day he'd find me, that he'd have gotten clean and turned his life around, and he'd come back to apologize for all the things he'd done and he'd spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to me. I thought…maybe one day we'd have a real relationship. Part of me knew it was stupid to hope, but I figured…magic really does exist. Kendra showed us that it was real. And I thought too, that if a girl like me could get a guy like you to fall in love with her, then maybe-maybe anything was possible. And then—just like that—he was gone. No apologies, no last words, nothing. Just cardiac arrest from too much heroin. And after that…I didn't want to hope too hard or believe too much."

"Right after that…I really threw myself into my studies. And became good friends with Jessica," Adrian concluded.

Lindy nodded. "Yeah. I'm so sorry for doubting you, Adrian. You're nothing like my dad, you'd never hurt me the way he did, I know that. It was me. I just—I just stopped believing in happily ever after. I felt like I had to be ready to say goodbye to you. I didn't want to be taken by surprise again by something painful."

Adrian took Lindy's face in his hands. "I saw how he hurt you—before you even came to live with me. I saw in the mirror Kendra gave me. I wanted to save you and keep you safe from the very start. When your dad died, I wished I could have protected you from that, but I couldn't. All I can do is make sure you're never hurt again. So I'm going to promise you this one thing: I will never say goodbye to you. I know, I'm going to Guam for two months, but that's not goodbye. No matter how far apart we are, I'm always going to come back to you."

"Oh Adrian!" Lindy hugged him. "I'm so sorry, I really am. I love you! I'll never love anyone else this way, ever."

"I love you too," he whispered to her. They sat like that for a long time, holding each other. When they pulled apart, Adrian leaned back and grinned. "Well, that's more like it."

Lindy giggled, brushing away her tears. "More like what?"

Adrian jerked his head in the direction of the glass side of the opposite building. "See for yourself."

Lindy turned to look in the reflective glass. Sitting next to Adrian was a skinny, red-haired girl with sea-green eyes and freckles sprinkled over her face. Lindy gasped in delight, running her hand over her face. She didn't even realize the change had happened. Then she remembered what Kendra had said: it was all an illusion, and it would disappear when she didn't need it anymore. Nothing could be truer: she had Adrian's love. She didn't need anything else. "So...I guess you're not going to miss Vanessa?" Lindy asked in a tiny, hopeful voice.

"Ha! Nope, not my type. I prefer redheads with big hearts."

"Can you forgive me?" Lindy asked her love.

"For what, hon?"

"For lying to you. For that ridiculous disguise."

Adrian chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Actually, I'd think I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I couldn't forgive you. After all, I'd pretended to be someone else that whole time I was cursed. You could have been really angry at me, but you were just happy that we were together. I think that's a good way to think of things."

"Hey you guys!"

Lindy and Adrian turned to see Jessica standing on the patio. "Lindy! You made it! I thought you weren't feeling well."

"Hey, Jessica. I'm feeling much better now," Lindy answered, smiling a secret smile at Adrian.

"Awesome! Hey, come in when you get a chance. Christy was able to make it and I want you all to meet!" Jessica ventured back into the party.

"Christy?" Lindy asked Adrian.

"Yes, Christos. Jessica's _fiancée,_" Adrian replied with a pointed look.

Then Lindy remembered the handsome, swarthy giant Jessica was talking to when she and Adrian were going out to the patio. "Ohh," she replied, hoping the night would hide the redness of her face from embarrassment.

Adrian put his arms around her. "Let's just forget about the whole thing, shall we? We'll just go back in and enjoy the party." He offered her his arm.

Lindy stood and took it. "I wish I could thank Kendra. She was right, I hope she knows it."

Adrian looked down at his feet and smiled. "Somehow, I think she does." There, between a small crack in the concrete floor of the patio, bloomed a single white rose that had not been there before. Adrian reached down and plucked it, then placed it in Lindy's hair. She blushed and smiled, sending her thanks to the enchantress in her thoughts.

"Face it, this is happily ever after," Adrian told Lindy.

She smiled, her heart racing the same way it did all those years ago when Adrian first told her that. The way it would for years to come when she was near him. "True love, like in fairy tales," Lindy added.

And they kissed.

_The end._


End file.
